Three journalists dismissed from Stars and Stripes accused the government of violating their First Amendment rights, asking the courts to stop their termination.
A lawsuit filed on Thursday argues that new Pentagon policies severely limit the editorial independence of Stars and Stripes, which started publishing during the Civil War.
The firings at Stars and Stripes also claimed a Middle East correspondent. They are the latest effort by the Pentagon to diminish the news outlet’s editorial independence.
Service members reading Stars and Stripes in Cu Chi, South Vietnam, in September 1969. The publication has a long history of independent reporting on the U.S. military.